Rangers Should Be In On DrouinPosted by Michael M. Ramos ≡ 4:10:27 PM - January 3, 2016

Rangers coach has been quaoted in the New York local players as saying that as a coach he has made it clear many times of what is expected of him to be a vital part of the Rangers team, but he has been a healthy scratch the last few games and has the coach saying he is at a "tipping point". We all saw what happened the last time a player from Tampa wanted to be traded, the Rangers overpayed for a player that was supposed to bring the Cup to New York but fell short in his 2 seasons played before he retired this summer. That trade happened under Glen Sather, so don't expect new G.M. Gorton to overpay this time around. When Glen Sather stepped aside, the new G.M. said that the main difference between him and Sather would be that he would take alot more time to make a deal and not rush into one. In a statement that came out today from Jonathan Droiun's agent Allan Walsh per Bob McKenzie of TSN...".Drouin's agen Allan Walsh wanted to make it known publicly that he had formally requested a trade on Drouin's behalf in NOVEMBER. The player wants out." Drouin was assigned to the Tampa AHL club earlier today which forced Walsh to go public.

Two summers ago Kevin Hayes forced himself out of Chicago by holding out until his rights with the Blackhawks were expired. He chose to sign with the Rangers where he made the NHL club out of camp and put up solid rookie numbers in playing 79 games while scoring 17 goals-28 assists for 45 points and a plus 15 in over 13 minutes of playing time per game. Add in 19 playoff games where he seemed more like a rookie with 2 goals -7 assists for 9 points and a -3 in 14 minutes per game average. His stats this season don't really tell the story as he has played 37 games and has 6 goals-11 assists for 17 points but a -1. His play has clearly slipped and at times he has seemed to be going through the motions. His season was summed up in one play a few games ago...he has the puck and had it taken from him, he left his feet trying to get the puck back falling to the ice and the Nashville Predators breaking out (Kreider was already trapped behind the Predator net so the center should have played it safe and fell back to stop an odd man breakout)...as he layed on the ice watching and not hustling back to fix his mistake, the player who he should have been covering was wide open in the middle of the ice for the game winning goal. It's time to either get him to play on the same page with the Rangers system or move him for someone who is capable of doing the right job. Hayes will be a restricted free agent this summer and he is clearly the type of player that would hold out if he doesn't get the money he thinks he deserves. The Rangers already have a system of pay for players on 2nd contracts in Chris Kreider with around a $2.5 million per year cap. If the Rangers think they can sign him for that, they better try it now because even though his brother signed with the Boston Bruins, reading his quotes he seems more like the type of guy that thinks more of himself so we will have to see how it plays out.

Jonathan Drouin is a much smaller player than Kevin Hayes by 6 inches but he brings much more skill and finish. He is the typical winger that the Rangers are looking for in their top 6 for the future. In the 19 games played this season, he hs scored 2 goals-6 assists for 8 points and a +1. He averages around 14 minutes per game. In his rookie season he played 70 games and scored 4 goals -28 assists for 32 points and a +3. He had a terrible playoffs last season when his Lightning made it to the finals while only playing in 6 games with no points and a -6. anyone who has seen him play in juniors where he had 2 seasons of 100+ points per season knows if he is playing on a team that wants him and is given a chance to play his type of game, he can produce with his amazing skillset. One thing we know, he will no longer be playing for the Lightning.

This trade seems like a no brainer as both players show they have alot of talent and can be productive players as they have both shown already in the NHL last season. Neither player is playing on their teams right now and look like both need a change of scenery. Of course there would be more pieces needed to be added to make this work, let's shake it up Gorton! Let's go Gorton and Yzerman, make this deal and make both teams better for this season and the future!